Game Trip
by nineteennintytwo
Summary: Now in her teen years, Suzie Dawn AKA Moppet Girl is faced with the reality of the arcade, her home away from home, being shut down. And when she plays one last game, a hidden bonus level takes her into a world she never thought possible, giving light to a dangerous situation - and leading to a surprising romance.
1. Prologue

So, uh...new story. When I haven't even finished the other two yet.

But I couldn't concentrate on the others unless I wrote this thing. My friend Mia Vaan (most of you will know her as the author of _Friends and Enemies_) had this idea for a story, but with so many others filling her plate she soon lost interest in it. And since I liked the idea so much, she let me have it.

And here it is. I hope you all enjoy it, and don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Wreck-It Ralph_. It belongs to Disney.

* * *

Prologue

When the jar of quarters began to overflow, Suzie Dawn knew that it was time for another official Game Night. She and Mina had been talking about having one for ages, but Suzie didn't want to go without at least a good amount of quarters that will last her the whole night.

An overflowing jar was plenty.

The eighteen year old brushed her shoulder-length blonde hair which had earned her the nickname of 'Moppet Girl' for so long. It didn't look like a mop anymore – that look was long gone, along with her glasses and braces – but where she lived, nicknames stuck until the kid left for good.

The foster home contained more children than Suzie could count. She had long since given up; so many new kids joined them every so often, and so many left. She never became particularly close with any of them, so in her eyes, it didn't matter.

"Suzie, can I have some juice?"

_Well, one kid matters_.

Suzie turned and smiled down at six year old Jacob Conner; a boy with wide blue eyes and scruffy brown hair, who also just so happened to be short for his age. All the other foster kids in the home were loud and caused arguments; Jacob was quiet and preferred to stay out of the way. Suzie had found herself looking out for him ever since he arrived at the home a few years before.

"Come on," she told the boy, taking his hand in hers. "What sort of juice would you like?"

"Orange, please."

Suzie led him into the kitchen where she took out a carton of orange juice. She opened up the straw and stuck it inside, before handing it back to him with a smile. The little boy began to suck on the straw to get to the juice.

Another boy entered the room, and Suzie instantly placed herself in front of Jacob. Warren Borson – a twelve year old boy with dark hair – made a living out of picking on the younger kids, especially Jacob.

"Move aside, Moppet Girl," he said to her. "I feel like clobbering someone. Or at least crushing their juice."

He looked passed her at Jacob, who buried his face into Suzie's jumper. Suzie placed an arm around the younger boy.

"You will do no such thing," she told Warren. "It's no wonder you haven't been fostered yet, you little brat."

"Warren! Are you picking on Jacob again?" came a voice, and Mrs. Lavender – the head social worker – entered the room with a stern expression on her face.

Warren didn't bother to deny it and just walked away in a huff. Suzie rolled her eyes.

"He needs help. Like, some serious help."

"I know," said Mrs. Lavender, and shook her head. "Are you off to work?"

"Yes," Suzie replied as she slung her open bag over her shoulder. "I'll be back after the arcade closes, Mrs. Lavender."

"Call me Kerri. I've told you that before, Suzie," said the woman, and then noticed the large jar of quarters in the girl's bag. "And if you didn't spend all your money playing those games, you wouldn't _need_ to work at that place. You'd be able to spend your time studying."

"Not this again," sighed Suzie; her video game addiction was always the topic of their conversations. "Kerri, it's my money, and I spend it how I want. Besides, my grades are fine."

"You got a straight D report," said Kerri. "If you want to get into college and become a video game designer, then you need to focus on your grades now instead of the games. I have a right mind to take away your job at the arcade so it doesn't distract you."

"It's fine," said Suzie before she walked away, heading for the door.

"Oh, and I need you to take Jacob out after work," Kerri called after her. "I promised to take him to this new pizza place today, but I've got a meeting."

"OK. Will do."

* * *

Suzie had almost reached the bonus level in _Fix-It Felix Jr._ when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"You're lucky Grandpa is busy with some other kids."

The girl jumped in surprise and leapt away from the game, turning to see her friend Mina Litwak smirking at her. Her red hair was loose, coming down to almost her waist while her blue eyes sparkled mischievously. Suzie smiled hesitantly back at her.

"I was just...checking that it was still working. Yeah," she said, before she gave the game a tap.

Having stopped playing, Felix lost his lives easily and the 'Game Over' screen appeared. The girl sighed. Mina rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, you spend more time playing here than you do working. Heaven help the kids if you end up owning an arcade of your own; you'll be too busy _playing_ the games to help them."

"Speaking of playing games," Suzie said, trying to change the subject, "my jar's overflowing with quarters. Feel like having another Game Night soon?"

"Sounds fun," Mina said with a shrug. "We just need to clean up our mess this time; Grandpa wasn't too happy with how we left the place last time."

Suzie cringed, remembering the annoyed expression on Mr. Litwak's face the next time she showed up for work. She and Mina had been able to convince him to allow them to stay behind hours and play the many games in the arcade all night long, but after leaving it a mess, she would be surprised if he let them do it again.

When they asked him about it later, he sent them a stern look.

"You can have another one, but only if you promise to clean up your mess. Last time there was litter everywhere and the place looked filthy. Like my Nana."

The girls tried to hold back their laughter. The man always referred to his "Nana" no matter the topic; he could fit her into anything that was being said.

"Thanks, Grandpa," said Mina.

"So when were you girls thinking of having it?" asked Mr. Litwak, as he continued to wipe down the counter at the front of the arcade.

"Tonight?" Mina shrugged.

"Oh, can't," Suzie informed, remembering what she had promised earlier. "I'm taking Jacob to this new pizza place downtown. Kerri couldn't, so she asked me to do it instead. I can't blow the kid off."

"And we can't so it tomorrow night," said Mina. "School night. How about next Friday?"

"Sounds cool," said Suzie with a nod.

"Shame you girls aren't doing it tonight," said Mr. Litwak. "I was hoping you could test out this new game coming in."

The girls' attentions were caught.

"New game?" asked Mina. "You didn't tell me about this."

"I haven't known for very long," the old man explained. "Only got the call yesterday. It's been made by a new company in town; _CC Games_, I think. Some game called _Escape from the Ninth Realm Prison_, or something like that. I forget. Like my Nana."

"Sounds awesome," said Suzie. "When's it coming in?"

"Tonight."

"I could test it out when it comes in," said Mina; she then saw her friend's disappointed expression and laid a hand on her shoulder. "You could come in early tomorrow and test it out then. By then I would have figured out all the cheat codes and I'll guide you through."

"Sure thing, Mina," said Suzie with a smile.

* * *

Later that evening Suzie was driving Jacob to the pizza place when she pulled to a stop at the traffic lights outside the arcade. She looked over at it, tempted to go in and see what the new game was like...but then she saw Jacob's excited expression in the mirror and told herself to forget it.

_I can play it tomorrow_, she told herself. _I promised Jacob I'd take him_.

When the lights turned green she drove away, not looking back at the building. That night, her life changed forever – and she wasn't even there to witness it.

* * *

So, what do you think? Don't forget to review!


	2. A Year Later

So here's chapter two! A big thank you to my five reviewers, and those of you who only faved and alerted...could you leave a review? It's just that, while favs and alerts are fine, they don't tell me _what_ I'm doing right with the story, so I can keep on doing it.

Then there's also the romance part of the story. I want to get it right, and believe it or not, reviews help. So please leave one? It doesn't take much effort.

I hope you all enjoy this next chapter which, as you can see by the title, is set a year after the prologue.

* * *

A Year Later

Nineteen year old Suzie shifted the bag on her shoulder as she stared up at the entrance of the arcade. Before, seeing the building – her home away from home – filled her with excitement and delight.

But now, it wasn't the same. Not since Mina disappeared.

Mr. Litwak hadn't known how it had happened. One minute, she'd been playing the new game. The last he'd heard from her, she'd called out to him that she'd been able to reach a bonus level. But when he went to check on her a few minutes later, she had vanished, and the 'Game Over' screen was displayed on the game.

Police investigation had followed, but they'd found no trace of Mina. It was like she'd vanished into thin air.

Her grandfather had been devastated – for she was the only family he had – and Suzie was equally so. Mina had been her only friend; the only one who truly understood her, and life after that hadn't been the same.

She'd played the video games less and less, focussing on the job of making sure the kids at the arcade had fun. Mrs. Lavender saw this as positive development, hoping it would encourage Suzie to focus on her grades. But it didn't. Instead, her brooding distracted her even more than the games ever did, which resulted in bad grades...and losing out on the opportunity to go to college. And despite her age, she was being kept at the foster home until other arrangements could be made.

Suzie walked through the front entrance, ready for another day, but when she arrived outside her boss's office she was met with the sight of Mr. Litwak talking to a man she didn't recognize. His hair was turning grey and his eyes were the same, whilst he also wore a grey suit to match.

"Oh hello, Suzie," Mr. Litwak greeted, before gesturing to the man in grey. "This is Clinton Crow; the man I told you about."

_Right, the guy who's gonna buy the arcade and fire me_, Suzie thought bitterly.

With no one to pass the arcade onto (he had considered Suzie, but didn't want to burden her with the inheritance fee and the countless other bills to pay), Mr. Litwak had been forced to consider other buyers – and it would have been in another few years, but Suzie knew that the arcade reminded him too much of Mina.

Clinton had provided him with the biggest offer – enough to give him pension money for the rest of his life – but he also wanted to do something neither Mr. Litwak nor Suzie liked. He wanted to shut the arcade down and turn it into something more 'modern' for the kids.

Neither of them liked it...but neither could do anything about it.

"I'll bring the contract in tomorrow morning for you to sign; easier done on a Sunday," said Clinton, before holding out a hand. "I'll see you then, Stan."

Mr. Litwak wordlessly shook his hand before the man left, nodding his head in greeting to Suzie as he did. Suzie didn't return the gesture, and instead walked straight over to her boss.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" she asked him.

"I'm afraid not," said the old man. "All the other offers came from contractors who wanted to tear the building down and either turn it into a parking lot or a mini mall. This way, at least the building remains, and he might even keep some of the newer games on the side."

"I guess," said Suzie. "But what about the other games?"

"They'll be sold to other arcades," said Stan. "But I was thinking about maybe...giving some of them to you. For that foster home you live in. Kerri's been looking for more entertainment for the kids."

Suzie smiled at the thought.

"How many?" she asked.

"Only three; that's all I can spare," he replied. "But I'll take a wild guess as to which ones you want; _Hero's Duty_, _Sugar Rush_ and _Fix-It Felix Jr._"

Suzie's smile widened. Mr. Litwak knew her so well; those three were her favourites. She didn't know why, but it felt as though the three games were...connected somehow.

* * *

"All clear!"

With those words, Ralph immediately made his way towards the train with Felix in tow and hopped into the carts. The train began to move into the power cord that would take them to Game Central Station.

"What do you think will happen to us now?" asked Felix rhetorically.

Ralph sighed. All day, they'd been hearing about the arcade being sold to someone else, and had seen the looks on the faces of both Mr. Litwak and the other worker, Suzie – seeing the girl, who was usually so full of life, in this way made something inside Ralph's code feel strange things. Of course, both hadn't been the same since the disappearance of Litwak's granddaughter, Mina, but they were even more miserable than usual.

It made them fear the worst as to the fate of the arcade. Would this new management be any different? Would the arcade be shut down? They didn't know, for they hadn't been able to overhear any specifics, but it was enough to set them on edge.

And apparently, they weren't the only ones. The entire station was abuzz with suspicions and theories as to what would happen to them all, and Ralph noticed that even Surge Protector failed to stop him as he crossed over the line. He later saw him trying to calm down a large group of panicked characters.

Ralph and Felix met up with Vanellope and Calhoun, who were waiting nearby. Vanellope looked a little distressed, being a young child, and Ralph immediately picked her up and placed her carefully on her shoulder. Calhoun looked calm and collected as she always did, but Felix could see right through her and knew that she was anything but; however, he also knew that she didn't like him pointing this out, so he decided to keep his mouth shut.

An awkward silence passed between them.

"I know that characters usually escape into Game Central Station when their game is unplugged," said Vanellope. "But what happens if _all_ the games are unplugged? And then the station?"

"It'll be the baby of Doomsday and Armageddon," said Calhoun. "We'll just have to face it, like soldiers."

Vanellope looked more distressed than before, and Ralph gave the Sargent a glare. Felix got between them before a fight started.

"I'm sure everything will be fine," he assured them. "For all we know, this new manager could keep the arcade just the same. And if he doesn't...well...at least we'll still have the memories."

"If we're still around to have them," Calhoun muttered.

"We must go somewhere after this," said Felix, turning to his wife. "The people outside have this place called 'Heaven'. Maybe there's a game-Heaven? And that's where we'll go with our memories, no regrets. Even though...we were never able to have a kid... I always did want a son..."

"You know we can't have kids, Fix-It," Calhoun told him, kneeling down to his level and giving him a smile. "But I still have you, no matter what happens."

Felix smiled back, before Calhoun rose to her full height again and they walked away towards _Tapper's_.

Ralph watched them go with a smile...which faded. He did always wonder what it was like to be loved in such a way, and to give that love in return. But he'd never found that perfect someone.

"Earth to Ralph! Come on, Stink Brain, stop staring at them! It makes me want to vurp watching those two!"

At least not romantically. He blinked and turned to look at Vanellope, who was trying to get his attention.

"Oh, sorry," he apologized. "So...you wanna do anything?"

"I...I want to talk to some people," Vanellope replied. "I haven't known everyone for very long and... You know, if this is the end..."

Ralph understood, and made his way over – with her on his shoulder – to the first group of characters who were huddled nearby.

* * *

Suzie hurried back into the arcade and looked around, before sighing with relief when she found her red work apron discarded on the floor. She'd almost forgotten it, and wanted to take it home with her as a souvenir of the great times she'd spent working in the place.

She turned to leave again, but paused when a game caught her attention. _Escape from the Ninth Realm Prison_ stood in the corner of the arcade away from the others, for Mr. Litwak had been unable to look at it since Mina had disappeared.

Something drew her to the game, and Suzie didn't take her eyes off it as she walked closer. She didn't notice the characters in the surrounding games turn and watch her. She didn't even notice the multiple characters in _Tapper_ from various other games. Instead she kept on walking until she stepped up onto the platform in front of the screen.

Suzie stared at the screen, which showed clips of the game-play. She had avoided the game as much as Mr. Litwak had, but that hadn't stopped her from glancing over on occasion whenever a kid went to play it. None of them had been able to reach the supposed bonus level.

Looking around to make sure Mr. Litwak was well and truly gone, Suzie took out the few quarters she had spare and counted them up. Something inside her said to play one last game. In Mina's memory. It was what she would have wanted.

The girl inserted the quarters before putting on the helmet, the gloves and the gun which came with the game.

She played her hardest; harder than she ever thought she could. She took out and evaded all sorts of weird and wonderful creatures, and helped free a good amount of prisoners, too. Several levels were like this, and Suzie passed them all in no time at all.

Then came the bonus level.

The screen showed a room with some form of teleportation device, and Suzie realized that this was the way out. But looking around the room, she realized there were no guards and nothing to stop her from going through...

Suddenly she was shocked with electricity through the gloves and the helmet, and she blacked out as she felt the weird sensation of travelling at a hundred miles per hour.

* * *

Remember to review! ;D


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